Video can be seen here:
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Two years
after Chris Kyle's death, and days before the man accused of killing him
goes to trial, the retired Navy SEAL depicted in the blockbuster movie
"American Sniper" received a state day Monday in his honor.
Gov. Greg
Abbott signed a proclamation declaring Feb. 2 "Chris Kyle Day" in Texas,
where Kyle was raised and lived after serving in Iraq. Flags statewide
were to fly Monday at half-staff.
"As
governor, I am proclaiming this to be Chris Kyle Day, but in doing so,
as Chris would have it, we are also recognizing every man and woman who
has ever worn the uniform of the United States Military," Abbott said,
flanked by a dozen bipartisan lawmakers.
Abbott
called Kyle — reputed to be the deadliest sniper in American history —
"the face of a legion of warriors who have led the mightiest military in
the history of the world."
Four years after he retired from
service, he and neighbor Chad Littlefield were shot and killed at a
North Texas gun range. Accused in their deaths is former Marine Eddie
Ray Routh, whom the two men were trying to help. Routh has been
described by family as a troubled veteran who was hospitalized for
mental illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
An
Abbott spokeswoman said the success of the movie based on Kyle's
autobiography and the upcoming trial were not driving forces behind
Monday's announcement. An effort is underway to make Chris Kyle Day an
annual event.
Jury selection begins
Thursday in Stephenville, about 150 miles north of Austin, in the trial
of Routh, 27, who is charged with one count of capital murder and two
counts of murder.
Some 800
people have been summoned for jury duty, said court spokeswoman Wanda
Pringle, compared with the typical jury pool of 175 in Erath County.
Once seated, the jury will be under orders not to discuss the case.
Routh's
attorney, J. Warren St. John, has said that Routh will plead not guilty
by reason of insanity. If convicted, he could face the death penalty.
Finding
jurors who haven't heard about Chris Kyle could prove to be difficult,
said Allen Place Jr., a criminal defense attorney and spokesman for the
Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.
"We
want everything to be even-handed, and if there was any pretrial
publicity that intends a different spin on anything, then we should all
be upset, regardless of where it comes from," Place said.
Last
week, Kyle's widow, Taya Kyle, spoke to legislators at a private
screening of "American Sniper" at the Texas Capitol. She praised peer
counseling such as the Military Veteran Peer Network, one of several
assistance programs that the Texas Veterans Commission hopes will
receive more state funding this year.
Although
Chris Kyle wasn't working with the network, "he is sort of a model of
that network," said Kyle Mitchell, deputy executive director of the
commission. "He was outreaching in the field on his own."
Taya Kyle did not attend Monday's event.
Original post found here: http://news.yahoo.com/texas-establishes-chris-kyle-day-2-years-death-232043229.html
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